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A Lot Of People Tuned In To The ‘Book Of Boba Fett’ Finale

The season one finale of The Book Of Boba Fett drew in a lot of fans when it dropped last week. The total viewership clocked in at 1.5M U.S. households during their tracking period, which is Wednesday to Sunday. In comparison, The Mandalorian, Disney+’s other Star Wars show, pulled in 1.1M for its second season finale in Dec. 2020, which is 36&

Boba Fett’s explosive finale (literally) was directed by action movie legend Robert Rodriguez and written by Star Wars fan favorite Jon Favreau and Noah Kloor. The finale brought this chapter of Fett’s book to a close, by bringing Mando back together with his BFF Baby Yoda aka Grogu.

“The momentum and excitement for the first season of The Book of Boba Fett certainly carried through to the finale,” said Cole Strain, Samba TV’s Head of Measurement, which tracks viewer data and demographics. “In fact, the 1.5M U.S. households watching the debut season’s finale through the weekend was 36% higher than The Mandalorian’s season two finale. Disney has done a great job creating strong original content that keeps viewers engaged and coming back for more.”

While the reviews for Boba Fett haven’t been amazing, the show did receive some praise for some of its comedic elements and plot points, thanks to Amy Sedaris. Still, Disney has not announced if there will be a second season of Fett’s adventures, or if this particular book has been closed.

On the other hand, production of season three of The Mandalorian expected to begin any day now.

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Latto Looks Back On The Unexpected Success Of ‘B*tch From Da Souf’ On ‘How I Blew Up’

Before there was “Big Energy” or “Muwop,” Atlanta rapper Latto introduced herself to rap fans with her breakthrough single “B*tch From Da Souf,” which appeared on her 2019 EP Hit The Latto. This song, as well as its remix featuring Saweetie and Trina, helped take Latto from being a teen reality TV star to being signed to RCA Records, where she released her well-received debut album, Queen Of Da Souf.

Now, with her second album in the works and the Monster Outbreak Energy Tour (which she’s headlining) kicking off next month, Latto stops by Uproxx Studios in LA to break down how “B*tch From Da Souf” changed her life on How I Blew Up. Tracking her career from her early interest in reading and language arts to her father’s taking command of her career to put her on the right track to “B*tch From Da Souf” becoming an unexpected success after a title change.

A last-minute video shoot not only changed the song’s trajectory but also Latto’s, accumulating more streams on YouTube than any of Latto’s previous records. From there, it didn’t take long for Latto to become one of the hottest rising stars in hip-hop. She explains how becoming an XXL Freshman in 2020 proved to be both exciting and frustrating, then talks about her plans for the future as presaged by the success of “Big Energy,” her latest big hit, which is doing even better than “B*tch From Da Souf.”

Watch Latto’s episode of How I Blew Up above.

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‘Rust’ Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ Family Has Filed A Wrongful Death Suit Against Alec Baldwin

Four months after the on-set shooting incident that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead, her family is moving forward (according to The Hollywood Reporter) with a wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and others associated with the production of the film.

On Oct. 21st of last year, Hutchins was killed after Baldwin allegedly discharged a gun that had been mistakenly loaded with live ammunition. The accidental discharge also left director Joel Souza injured. In the months since, multiple lawsuits and investigations have been filed to determine who exactly is at fault for Hutchins’ death with Baldwin giving interviews detailing his memories of the incident, including his belief that the weapon was “cold,” i.e. not loaded with real bullets. There’s been criticism from industry insiders — and people involved with the production — alleging corners were cut to save costs, which might have led to negligence on set. Still, Hutchins’ family had yet to publicly weigh in on the argument of who is at fault for her death, until now.

The family’s attorney, Brian Panish, held a press conference at his law firm’s office in downtown L.A. that was also live-streamed to members of the press. Panish announced the family’s intention to file a wrongful death lawsuit in New Mexico against Baldwin and “others responsible for the safety on set whose reckless behavior” led to Hutchins’ “senseless and tragic death.” The firm also shared a 3D rendering of the shooting that included narrated video showing texts and emails from crewmembers complaining about the lack of safety precautions on set. The suit claims that 15 industry standards were disregarded which directly led to Hutchins’ death. Panish singled out Baldwin for using a revolver to rehearse the shot and the assistant director who gave Baldwin the gun without the armorer on the set present. Though Panish said that Baldwin holds a greater responsibility for Hutchins’ death because he was the one operating the weapon that killed her, the suit also names producers, armorers, prop masters, and assistant directors involved with the film, claiming they share liability for the tragedy.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

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Rihanna Says Being Pregnant Doesn’t Mean No New Music: ‘You’re Still Going To Get Music From Me’

The most notable Rihanna news as of late is that she and ASAP Rocky are now expecting their first child together. For those whose primary interest in Rihanna lies in her musical output, a natural reaction to the pregnancy news is to wonder what sort of impact it will have on her forthcoming album. Well, now Rihanna has addressed that, noting that new music is still on the way.

In a lighthearted and friendly interview with ET’s Rachel Smith from over the weekend, Smith asked Rihanna about her “other baby” (the upcoming album) and wondered if pregnancy and motherhood will inspire new music. Rihanna responded, “Oh gosh. You can’t ever… You know, this is why my fans love you, you know, because you ask all the good questions. Well… yes, you’re still going to get music from me.” Smith suggested a lullaby could be on the way and Rihanna replied, “Oh my goodness, not a lullaby. My fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby.”

She also spoke about how her pregnancy has been so far, saying, “It’s all an exciting journey so far. I’m just taking it as it comes every week. There’s always something new and I’m just taking it and I’m enjoying it.” Rocky also told ET, “I’m just excited for what I don’t know yet. Everything is new to me. So, I’m excited.”

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The Best Scotch Whisky Between $60-$70, Ranked

Spending $60 on a single bottle of Scotch whisky might seem like a pretty big ask. You can easily get three solid bottles of bourbon for that price. But that’s apples and oranges. Scotch isn’t bourbon and carries with it a wholly different flavor vibe. It’s also an import — which implies a whole different cost structure.

The best Scotch whisky at this price point is accessible and, most importantly, very tasty. While we’re still in a somewhat “entry-level” range — think 12-year-old bottles and the beginnings of special releases — there’s a lot of great juice to be had. This is the price point where you can get into scotch, maybe for the first time, and start to really understand it better. This is where peated and unpeated whiskies start to shine without the hefty price tags that are soon to come.

The ten bottles of Scotch whisky below are ranked according to taste (from my own tasting notes). I tried to keep this a good mix of peated and sweet Scotch whiskies to offer variety for those looking to get into something new. Let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

10. Benriach The Twelve Speyside Single Malt

Brown-Forman

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $61

The Whisky:

Dr. Rachel Barrie’s reimaging of BenRiach has been a stellar success. This dram is a marrying of 12-year-old malts that matured in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-port casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This has a bold nose full of apple and pear candy, plenty of blooming heather scrub, and blueberry juice and stems with a hint of dark orange chocolate balls. The taste boils everything down to a silken palate of stewed pears with cinnamon sticks, sherry-soaked prunes, freshly milled oats, orange-infused marzipan with dark chocolate frosting, and a slight espresso bean oily bitterness. The finish creates a creamy espresso macchiato vibe that’s spiked with that dark orange chocolate note and a final hit of those stewed fruits.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those “ah-ha!” whiskies. It’s super svelte while packing a pretty solid flavor punch. Pour this over some rocks or use it in your next Scotch cocktail to really amp those flavor notes up.

9. Compass Box Peat Monster

Compass Box

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $68

The Whisky:

Compass Box is one of the most interesting blender/bottlers working today. This expression is the perfect example of the craft of whisky blending, with six masterfully married peaty barrels coming together, focusing on Caol Ila and Laphroaig. A touch of Highland malt is added to bring in hints of dark spice to balance all that Islay peat.

Tasting Notes:

This is peaty but not ridiculously so, thanks to the subtlety of the Caol Ila in the mix. There’s a really rich and sweet apple/pear vibe that cuts through the earthy peat while a vanilla cream brings about a velvet mouthfeel. The smoke returns but is tied to the fruit — like a bushel of smoked apples, pears, and apricots next to a touch of ashy smoke — on the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is a great starter peated whisky. There’s plenty of fruitiness and sweetness layered into the dram that’ll help temper the heavier aspects of the peat. I prefer this in smoky cocktails but wouldn’t turn it down over the rocks any day.

8. Aultmore 12

Aultmore 12
Bacardi

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $61

The Whisky:

This tiny whisky is part of their Last Great Malts range from Dewar’s. The juice is a rare release from a distillery that releases bottles every few years (this bottle dropped back in 2014).

Tasting Notes:

The nose bursts forth with notes of ripe apples and pears next to a seriously creamy vanilla base with touches of orange blossoms and soft cedar bark. The palate wraps those apples and pears into a soft and buttery puff pastry with plenty of soft spice and brown sugars as the vanilla thickens into a pudding with the florals becoming slightly more dried towards the mid-palate. The finish hoists those stewed apples and pears to center stage as the mild spice gently fades away.

The Bottom Line:

This is a pretty special whisky, especially if you’re looking for a rare-ish bottle. The fruity/spicy vibe of this one makes it a great candidate for highballs or cocktails.

7. Glenfarclas 12

J. & G. Grant

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $60

The Whisky:

Glenfarclas is a bit of an outlier. The whisky is distilled with old-school fire-heated stills (most stills use steam) to this day. The juice is then aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks for 12 long years.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a rumminess to the nose that touches on molasses, prunes, nuts, and jam. The taste holds onto that vibe to the point of having an almost spiced rum sweetness and clear notes of holiday spices, plenty of dried fruit, and a roasted almond element. The end is long and spicy, leaving you with a warming Speyside hug.

Bottom Line:

This just feels classic. There’s no pretension anywhere in this sip. I really dig using this in a simple highball or cocktail (think three or fewer ingredients).

6. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10

Rémy Cointreau

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $69

The Whisky:

Bruichladdich really has fun with peated whisky. This expression keeps the peat phenols in the mid-range, leaning high. The casking is a mix of first and second-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill French wine barrels. That utilization of second-fill oak means there’s a very light touch of wood on this peated whisky.

Tasting Notes:

Imagine a dark chocolate orange drizzled in salted caramel and served on a wet leaf of seaweed on the nose. The smoke kicks in on the palate with those wet seaweed leaves thrown on a smoldering pile of pine to create a massive billow of smoke everywhere, as hints of buttery white wine and strawberry jam-covered scones linger in the background. The finish leans into the bready nature of the scones with a dry straw edge that’s followed by a mouthful of the seaweed heavy grey smoke.

Bottom Line:

This really is a peat lover’s whisky. You’d be forgiven for not digging this one or finding it hard to enjoy if you’re put off by smoke bombs. Still, there’s enough layered fruit and creaminess below that smoke to find something to enjoy, especially on the rocks.

5. Ardbeg An Oa

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy

ABV: 46.6%

Average Price: $65

The Whisky:

This is a quintessential Islay peaty whisky. The juice is aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak, and ex-bourbon casks before being married and rested again in Ardbeg’s bespoke oak “Gathering Vat,” allowing the whiskies to really meld into a cohesive dram.

Tasting Notes:

Slow-smoked peaches, soft cherrywood on fire, and singed sage mingle on the nose. That profile leads towards buttery but almost burnt toffee with hints of egg nog spices, savory leafy green vegetables with a bit of dirt, walnut shells, black tea, and a little bit of pancake syrup (the high fructose corn syrup kind). The finish is long, has hits of black licorice, and really brings the soft yet sweet smoke with an almost meat smoker edge.

Bottom Line:

Where the previous whisky was unabashed about its peatiness, this Islay malt really feels like a delicate balance of sweet and smoke that might just hook you into peated whiskies once and for all. Try this one with a few drops of water to let it bloom then on the rocks before mixing your favorite cocktail with it.

4. GlenDronach 12

GlenDronach 12
Brown-Forman

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $63

The Whisky:

This Highland malt is blended by Scotch icon Dr. Rachel Barrie to highlight the beauty of the Scottish Highlands. The juice is a blend of whiskies aged for 12 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with spicy berries next to tart apples with a hint of lemon/lime and old leather. The sip leans into a honey sweetness with vanilla beans, dark plums, and spicy malts. The finish smooths out with a mineral water softness as old cedar boards mingle with a raisin tobacco chewy spice on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is just freaking nice and also feels pretty classic. I tend to pour this over some rocks mostly but have used it to make some great cocktails.

3. The Macallan 12

Edrington Group

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $62

The Whisky:

Where many scotches spend time in ex-bourbon and then ex-sherry casks or some combination therein, this expression spends all 12 years of its maturation just in sherry casks. The barrels are imported from Jerez, Spain, and hand-selected for their excellence to mature this much-beloved whisky.

Tasting Notes:

Apple cider with a cut of cinnamon and clove in the juice greets you with a clear sense of vanilla, nuts, and plums on the nose. On the taste, those plums turn into prunes as orange peels mingle with sweet oak and a hint of tobacco spice. The end is long, full of that sherry, dried fruit, and sweetness, and returns back to the chewy tobacco spice.

Bottom Line:

This is a testament to less is more. The taste on this is so dialed in and luscious. It’s kind of shocking it’s only 12 years old (which is young by Scotch standards). Pour some of this over some good rocks and you’ll be all set.

2. Oban 14

Diageo

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $69

The Whisky:

This is a great gateway to both Oban and scotch to have on hand. The juice is classically made and then matured in the Oban storehouses for 14 long years — all within a stone’s throw of the sea.

Tasting Notes:

Citrus, salt, and a billow of peat smoke open this one up in classic fashion on the nose. That citrus carries on as a foundation for mild spices on the palate as a note of honey, hints of pears, and plummy dried fruits mingle on the tongue. The oak spice and extremely mild peat smoke meet on the end with a slight malty sweetness as the sip fades.

Bottom Line:

Oban 14 is one of the subtlest peated malts out there. The beauty of his pour is layers of fruit, citrus, salt, and peat that compliment each other with none of them ever overpowering the taste. It’s great on the rocks or in your favorite Scotch cocktail.

1. Talisker 10

Talisker 10
Diageo

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $64

The Whisky:

This is one of the most awarded single malts ever. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon casks in Talisker’s warehouse which is literally feet away from the sea. The subtly peated malts take on a real seaside feel as those years tick past, creating a whisky that will not disappoint.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a distance to Talisker that draws you in on the nose — I’ve often described it as campfire smoke from a few hundred yards down a rainy beach. The sea spray mellows the smoky peat to a fine point as oyster shells dance with almost dry pears, dried apricot, and rich malt. The end doesn’t overstay its welcome and reminds you of oyster liquor and that smoldering campfire somewhere far down a rainy beach.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those whiskies that hooks people into scotch for the rest of their lives (it was that whisky for me). It’s so beautifully built and easy-drinking while offering a serious flavor profile that’s truly elevated. But it’s also fully accessible, mixable, and very sippable.

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Is Kanye West Involved In The Netflix Documentary ‘Jeen-Yuhs’?

The demand for more Kanye content seems to be a self-generating beast. But one of the latest projects is a Netflix documentary called Jeen-Uhs that takes a look at exactly what goes on behind the scenes with this hip-hop star. The documentary was first announced in September of last year, and since then, Kanye himself has had a lot to say about the creative film project that seeks to portray some of the biggest moments and pivotal releases in his expansive career. Although Kanye isn’t creatively involved with the project himself, in true Ye form, he’s been very vocal with his own opinions about what should go down in the visual feature. All the headlines have lead so many people to wonder, will the creators give him a say?

Is Kane West Involved In The Netflix Documentary Jeen-Yuhs?
From the start, the documentary has been a Netflix produced project about Kanye, not by him. It is directed by the duo, Clarence Simmons and Chike Ozah, aka Coodie & Chike, who have been working on it for close to twenty years. Though plenty of incredibly famous and powerful stars end up in control of their own film projects — Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance being a perfect recent example — so far, Kanye has not been given creative control in this visual. At least, not that the creative team involved have let on.

In a recent interview with The New York Times about the three-episode project, Coodie spoke on just that. “He said, ‘Let’s me and you do it,’ and I told him, ‘You have to trust me on this,’” Coodie told The Times. “Meaning no creative control. I said, “It would not be authentic if you have it.” He got all of that. And that was it.” That doesn’t mean Ye hasn’t floated plenty of ideas out into the ether anyway. His latest idea? That Drake should narrate the whole project. He’s also said before that he’s going to demand a final edit over the film. That’s probably going over about as well as the truckload of roses he sent to his estranged ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, on Valentine’s Day this year.

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HBO’s Killer Dark Comedy ‘Barry’ Has A Season 3 Premiere Date And New First Look Photos

When the pandemic first hit in March 2020, the HBO dark comedy series, Barry, saw its third season slip further and further away due to production delays. However, star Bill Hader revealed in October 2021 that things were back on track, and now, HBO has officially announced a return date for Barry Season 3: April 24. The news arrives shortly after Hader and co-creator Alec Berg participated in the Television Critics Association’s virtual press tour where they dropped some details about finally bringing Barry back after three long years.

“Season three, more than anything, shows the ramifications of [Barry’s violence],” Hader said during the TCA appearance (via The Hollywood Reporter). “Even more bad things happen. Mostly bad.”

Berg added, “I really enjoy the fact that everything that happens in the show is a consequence of Barry wanting a better life and every bit of that better life he’s trying to achieve has led to all this chaos.”

Along with the Season 3 premiere date, HBO dropped a batch of First Look photos, which you can see below:

Barry Season 3
HBO
Barry Season 3
HBO
Barry Season 3
HBO
Barry Season 3
HBO

Here’s the official synopsis for Season 3:

Desperate to leave his violent past behind in favor of his newfound passion, Barry is attempting to untangle himself from the world of contract killing and fully immerse himself in acting. But getting out is messy. While Barry has eliminated many of the external factors that pushed him towards violence, he soon discovers they weren’t the only forces at play. What is it about his own psyche that led him to become a killer in the first place? Season three finds Barry and the other characters trying to make the right choice.

Barry Season 3 premieres April 24 on HBO.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

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‘Asha’s Awakening’ Is A Soft, Sensual, And Eclectic Album From Emerging Star Raveena

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Midway through her second full-length album, Asha’s Awakening, Raveena ponders the evils of the internet. In a spoken word interlude, “The Internet Is Like Eating Plastic,” her thoughts will likely resonate with fellow twenty-something earthlings who have been equally impacted by all the vile and beautiful things that spring from the world wide web. As this 27-year-old puts it: “The internet has me stupid and smart at the same time.” While the bulk of Asha’s Awakening is set out in the nebulous cosmos, Raveena’s personal penchant for jazz, funk, soul, and inklings of Bollywood, from her native Indian culture, all make their way into the inner lining of this galactic record. And like any good concept album, the record’s protagonist journeys from this insecurity about the internet toward something brighter and stronger by the project’s end.

Though her first album, 2019’s independently-released Lucid, followed up a well-received initial EP, Shanti (which translates to “peace” in Sanskrit), this new album represents a massive breakthrough for Raveena. Technically her fourth release — it comes after she shared another EP, Moonstone, in 2020 — Asha’s Awakening marks her first release signed to a major label. For some artists, the transition from indie darling to mainstream pop can be a buzzkill, but for Raveena, the extra support only helped her expand. Her sophomore album is richer, warmer, and even more inviting than her debut, the work of an artist who understands how to weave disparate sounds into her own mesmerizing whole. And as one of the few Indian-American artists in the mainstream, despite pop’s increased representation in other areas, her visibility represents more big shifts in 2022.

“I kind of just wanted to really tap into my confidence, and tap into my bravery as an artist, to take risks,” she told NPR of the record. “That was kind of the awakening for me – I think this character was a beautiful vehicle for that because she is so bold, and so fearless. She goes through so many transformations, I found a lot of myself in her, and found a lot of courage in her.” Asha, the record’s titular protagonist, lives in ancient Punjab, but finds herself “transported” to another planet, where aliens educate her on their spiritual teachings and magic. After spending a thousand years on their planet, she misses humanity and love, and returns to earth to find the only thing that tops being a cosmic princess — connection.

And connection is the driving force linking the fifteen songs on this soft and sensual album, which kicks off with a stellar pairing — the frenetic, joyful opener “Rush” and beat-heavy “Secret,” featuring none other than cult favorite West Coast rapper Vince Staples. Vince’s inclusion here signals Raveena’s quick ascent into the big leagues, as a guest verse from Staples isn’t necessarily common for emerging pop stars. Actually, Asha’s Awakening includes not only that verse from Vince, but appearances from visual artists and musician TWEAKS, on the dreamy “New Drugs,” as well as legendary Indian singer-songwriter Asha Puthli on “Asha’s Kiss.” Considering Lucid had a sole feature, and both EPs were Raveena alone, working with other artists is another way she’s expanding her sound.

As a first-generation immigrant who was born in Massachusetts and raised between Queens and Connecticut, Raveena’s experiences could easily fit into what has been dubbed “third culture kids,” a split upbringing between the culture of her parents, in India, and physically growing up living in America. Though for every TCK, the pull between conflicting culture comes with different overtones. In Raveena’s case, her family are survivors of the 1984 Sikh genocide, so the collective trauma of that violence is also part of her lineage. Given the chaotic, sometimes painful nature of those relational forces, it’s not surprising that she gravitates toward the calming practice of meditation, and the healing forces of practices like reiki. Or, the escapist fantasy of an alien planet, where there’s plenty of time to learn coping mechanisms and return to earth ready to move forward.

All those influences naturally spill into her album, as the funky “Kathy Left 4 Kathmandu” splits the difference between Hindu practices and American experimentalism, and “Kismet” incorporates sections of Hindi lyrics into the intro and chorus. At the closing point on the album, Raveena leads her listeners through a guided meditation called “Let Your Breath Become A Flower,” and just like her lament about the internet, nothing could feel more natural to close out this emotional, eclectic project. “I wanted to just offer people a very practical tool for their life, and be able to actually use it if they needed it — to go to sleep, or just to calm down,” she told NPR of the concluding track. Within the song’s natural birdsong and crickets, gongs and bells, it’s still her voice that is the most soothing of all, instructing the listener to breathe in starlight and use it as a protective force against suffering. “In this space you are unconditionally loved,” she claims, manifesting her own journey from the malaise and insecurity of the internet’s chaos and landing in the zen of enlightenment.

Asha’s Awakening is out now via Warner Records. Get it here.

Raveena is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Finally Goes Next-Gen With A Huge Patch To Improve The Game

Cyberpunk 2077 is the biggest at launch failure we’ve seen from a game in recent memory. The game that received all the hype in the world launched in a state that was so poor that it had to be removed from the PlayStation Store because buyers were demanding refunds. The glitches were hysterical, but also frustrating, and it eventually led to the game having to be fixed. It took half a year to reach a state that the company said was “satisfying” and it was eventually returned to the PlayStation store.

Since the devs over at CD Projekt Red had to spend so much time fixing the game, they also had to delay next-gen versions of the game for PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S. Also, any improvements to the game were about helping it reach a baseline of quality instead of making active improvements to the overall experience. They were developing from behind and it made new progress on the game feel slow, but progress was indeed happening behind the scenes. On Tuesday, CD Projekt Red was finally ready to show how far they’d come, as the that the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk finally launched and with it came some huge updates.

Let’s get the big stuff out of the way first. While Cyberpunk has always been playable on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the versions that everyone was playing were the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions that newer consoles can play through backwards compatibility. Now, anyone with a PS5 or Series X/S can play a version that is exclusive to their console that can’t be played on previous generation hardware. This means the games are better optimized for those consoles and can make better use of that hardware.

Alongside this launch came a huge patch that is going to make some massive updates to the game including NPC and AI enemy behavior. Via a blog of the patch notes on Cyberpunk.net.

  • Multiple fixes and improvements to NPC melee and ranged combat AI and reactions, including taking cover, positioning, reloading, equipping weapons, dodging, blocking and many others.
  • Multiple improvements to dismemberment triggers, hit reactions and death animations, adding greater impact to ranged and melee combat.
  • Enemies are now much better at blocking and evading (Kerenzikov) attacks. The heavier the weapon, the easier it is to hit. The opposite is true for evading.
  • Further diversification of melee and ranged combat behaviors for different factions: reckless, aggressive, balanced, defensive and cautious.
  • Followers now contribute more in combat but can be defeated and temporarily disabled if they receive enough punishment.
  • Numerous fixes and balance changes to netrunner combat.

That blog has a full list of all the Patch Notes for anyone who wants to read them and get into all the technical improvements that have been made in this latest patch.

While this is all great news for anyone who has been waiting for the ideal experience to play Cyberpunk, it might not be enough to bring back everyone who saw the disaster state it released in. As a result, there is a way for players to experience the game and see if they like it before buying it as long as they have an Xbox Series S/X.

If there was ever a time to finally see what Cyberpunk is about this is probably the time to do it. It’s been over a year since the game has released, but it looks like Cyberpunk finally has the chance to meet the hype it came into the world with.

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Josh Hawley Has Immortalized His Pro-Insurrectionist Fist Pump On A $20 Coffee Mug That Appears To Be Made In China

Josh Hawley is taking a page from Donald Trump’s book and getting into the merchandising business. The Missouri senator, who was famously photographed pumping his fist in a show of solidarity with the insurrectionists and protestors outside of the Capitol on January 6th, is now immortalizing the moment on a $20 coffee mug, The Hill reports.

The mug, which Hawley is selling via his campaign, features the widely seen (and mocked) image of the senator making his way into the Capitol on the morning of January 6, 2021 with the phrase “Show-Me Strong.” According to his team, the mug is “the perfect way to enjoy Coffee, Tea, or Liberal Tears.”

The mug is also described as being “Made in America,” which… does not seem to be the case. (Unless there’s some town in America named China that’s churning out Hawley’s drinking vessels.)

After being widely criticized for showing allegiance with a violent mob that infiltrated the Capitol, Hawley attempted to explain himself to The Washington Post in April 2021. “That was as I was entering the House chamber the morning of the 6th,” he said. “Those were demonstrators who were out there on the plaza, on the far end of the plaza … standing behind barricades, waving American flags.”

As The Hill noted, Hawley was also “the first Republican senator to publicly announce that he would formally challenge the [2020 presidential] election results in Congress.”

(Via The Hill)